The Trouble With Falling In Love
by MoonlitSecrets
Summary: Natsu struggles when he finally realizes his feelings for Gray may be beyond just a silly crush. A two chapter story (though it may or may not become three). The perspective changes throughout the story. A quick story that popped into my head one day.
1. Chapter 1

I was in trouble. Yes, very serious trouble indeed. Out of everything that has ever happen to me, this has got to be in the top ten most troubling times. My heart beat fast and I felt dizzy. I chewed on my lower lip as I thought about it.

The trouble is that I have a crush. Well, that's not saying much, because isn't that a good thing? Well, it's not if that person happens to be your best friend, your rival, the same sex as you, and the absolute number one person you should NOT have a crush on. That person for me is none other than Gray Fullbuster. I don't even know how it happened. I'm not even gay!

We had been fighting as we had always fought. I think it was because Lucy pondered out loud which one was stronger- Gray or me. We quickly resolved to throwing fists and beating each other up when I suddenly felt something on my back and I fell forward- right into Gray. We both fell to the floor, and my head landed on his chest. Groaning, we both sat up, looking in surprise at how close we were- our faces only inches apart. I looked deep into his slightly confused eyes and instantly my heart started pounding wildly, going so painfully fast it was almost unbearable. I felt his icy breath ghost over my lips as he gasped slightly at our proximity and for some reason all I wanted was to close the distance between us and never let go. This occurred in a matter of seconds, but it was enough to make my face heat up. I quickly mumbled an excuse to get some ice for my head and ran into the back room before anyone could see my blush.

I knew I had a crush on him ever since we were children, but I also knew that I couldn't allow anything more to happen. Everyone thought I'd end up with Lisanna, and I tried to play along, but deep down, she was my little sister, and Gray was the one I had a crush on.

"Damn it…"

FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRY TAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL

"Ow…" I said, gripping my head. I blinked and watched Natsu run into the back room, muttering something about getting ice. What just happened? We were fighting and then suddenly… Natsu never tripped in the middle of a fight. He always had some freakish grace when fighting and was so light on the feet. Well I guess there was a first time for everything, but he didn't have to crash right into me.

"What is he talking about? I have ice right here, that idiot…" I said aloud and let magic flow into my hand to cool my throbbing head. An armored hand appeared in front of it and I took it gratefully, standing up. "Thanks." I said to Erza, who nodded with a smile. "That was the first time I've ever seen Natsu trip like that. I wonder what went wrong…" she questioned and I just shrugged.

"In any case, I suppose someone should check on that pink-haired moron…" I said, sighing slightly.

"…Gray, your clothes…" I heard Cana say and looked down to see I was only in my boxers

FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRY TAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL

I was sitting on a crate in the back room. What the crate's contents were and what they were used for, I wasn't sure of the moment, but I couldn't care less. I just concentrated on breathing and calming my heart down.

Why was I acting this way all of a sudden? I've had a crush on Gray for so long, why is this happening now? This kind of behavior was reserved for hormonal teenage girls, not a tough Dragon Slayer like him!

If I were to act this way now, it'll break everything I've worked so hard for- my friendship with Gray, my act of being totally oblivious on the subject of crushes and boyfriends and girlfriends, my constant upbeat attitude- it'd all go to waste. Yet here I was, letting two seconds of close contact with the guy I have a crush on make my face redder than an apple and my heart beat like it was having a party.

I sighed, leaning my elbows on my knees and putting my face in my hands.

Just then, a familiar voice came from directly to my left, softly asking, "Natsu?"

_No._

A pressure on my back sent chills running through me as a cold, calloused hand descended upon my bare left shoulder blade. I immediately cursed myself for taking off my vest for the fight.

_No. No. No._

"Hey, are you okay?" the voice asked, sounding genuinely concerned, as I felt the body shift in front of me.

_Nope. Nope. Nope._

"Hey, look at me."

_Gray, I would love to. I'd love to stare at your face all day long. The only problem is that for some reason I can't control myself and if I look at you, then…_

The hand removed itself from my back and came back with a friend as I felt two hands attempting to part mine.

_Why, Gray? This was supposed to be just a silly, stupid crush. A faze, really. Why can't I ever look at another human being and feel the same way I do about you?_

After I refused to remove my hands from my face, I heard a frustrated noise come from the back of Gray's throat.

_Wait….No…No… No, no, no, no, no, no, no. _Realization dawned on me. _It can't be! This is supposed to be a crush not… love? That's it, isn't it? I'm in love with Gray Fullbuster…_

FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRY TAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL

I was honestly getting frustrated with Natsu. First he picks a fight with me, then knocks me over, then runs into the back room, and now he's not cooperating at all.

"Natsu, come on, man, snap out of it!" I said firmly, shaking his shoulders. This motion seemed to surprise him, as his hands flew from his face from the force. My heart suddenly gave a horrible twist as I saw him.

Big, fat tears were shamelessly pouring down his face and his cheeks were redder than a strawberry. His pupils were shrunken to slits with fear and confusion, an emotion rarely seen on Natsu.

_Oh God did I…_

"Natsu…" I breathed, trying to find words as he turned away, cornered by the crates and me.

"Did… Did I… hurt you? Does your head hurt?" I asked, extremely confused but concerned. It must be a very serious injury if he was crying… But I don't think he'd ever cry from physical pain. I think he'd black out from pain before he'd give in to tears, yet here he was, sobbing like a child who scraped his knee.

He shook his head and I breathed a small sigh of relief.

"What's wrong, then?"

Another sob wracked his body.

"…O-oi…" I sat down beside him, placing my hand on his shoulder. Wrong move.

FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRY TAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL

I took the small window of opportunity when Gray sat down and bolted out of there as fast as I could toward the back exit. I could hear a shout of surprise from Gray, but then everything else was drowned out by the sound of my heart pounding as I ran as if for my life.

_I should have left immediately. I should have never come to this room. I should have run before Gray saw my face. My patheticness. My Gray…_

My vision blurred, but I knew the guild by heart and easily found the back door and slipped through it. Then I ran. I ran farther and farther. I didn't even know where I was going, I just ran.

_He'll think I'm disgusting. He'll think I'm weak. I'm so weak… I'm so disgusting. I'm repulsive, falling in love with my male best friend. Especially when I can't even imagine myself with any other person. Especially after I should be chasing after Lisanna or Lucy or some other nice girl._

I couldn't hear Gray's footsteps anymore, meaning I lost him, I outran him, or my heart's too loud to hear anything.

_Home… I need to go home…but Happy and I are practically homeless. I usually crash out at the guild, but that's out of the question. The only other place is… Lucy's._

And as I slowed to a stop, I realized I was right in front of her apartment. I guess my subconscious took me there before my brain could process it. I allowed myself a small moment of relief before racing toward the door.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ah, what a weird day." I chuckled, walking along the water's edge. "I hope Natsu's okay, he seemed pretty upset earlier after the fight with Gray, and I didn't see him after that. Too bad, I really wanted to go on a job…" I wondered out loud.

"Be careful walking so close to the water, Miss Lucy!" a boater yelled from the canal.

"I will, thanks!" I waved at him with a smile before turning toward my apartment, which I just so happened to arrive at. Sighing with relief to finally be home, I went to unlock the door when I noticed something.

_It's unlocked! That means I either forgot to lock it, which is very unlikely, or someone broke in!_

I clenched my keys tight, ready to summon a spirit to chase off a robber or pervert. I slowly opened the door and closed it, making as little noise as possible. I then proceeded to inspect the apartment. All rooms were clear, leaving just my bedroom, which I nervously opened.

The light was on as the door creaked open. I slowly walked into my room and looked around. Everything seemed normal… except for the pile of pillows and blankets on my bed!

I walked over and quickly lifted the sheets to reveal… Natsu?

"N-Natsu? YOU GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK! WHAT ARE YOU-" I stopped short as I noticed his expression. It looked worn, tired. His eyes were red and puffy but dry, suggesting he'd been crying but stopped for some time now, and they lacked their usual shine. They stared dead ahead but seemed to look past Lucy, as if not really seeing her. He was sitting with his legs up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them loosely.

He turned his head to look at here before weakly murmuring, "…Lucy?"

"Natsu? What is it? Are you okay? What's wrong?" I asked, extremely worried. I've never seen Natsu in such a state.

He remained silent, but his eyes seemed to focus on her and actually see her.

I sat next to him on the bed and stared him down.

"Natsu, tell me what's the matter."

More silence.

"Natsu, please. I want to help."

His mouth twitched at the corners before he said, "Sorry for intruding like this. I didn't mean to scare you."

Okay, now I was getting freaked out.

"Oi… are you really Natsu?" I asked semiseriously.

He gave a weak smile before simply saying, "Yeah."

We sat in silence for a few minutes before he turned his head again and asked, "Hey, Lucy… If… If there was someone… you really, really liked… loved even…but you knew there was no way they'd love you back… what would you do?"

I was taken aback. Natsu talking to me about such a serious subject… something definitely happened today.

"…Well… I guess it really depends on the situation… but I suppose I would tell them my feelings. I mean, it's better to get shot down then not knowing if you had a chance or not."

He seemed to think about this before replying, "But, Lucy, what would you do if that person was really close, say, a friend, and you didn't want to risk losing their friendship?"

I furrowed my eyebrows and wondered who he could have possibly liked.

_Lisanna, probably. Those two are definitely heading towards that direction._

"Well, if they were truly my friend, they would never leave me just because I told them I liked them. It might be tough for a while, but maybe after I got my feelings out, I could move on to another person and still be friends with the person I first liked." Was the best I could come up with.

"And what if… what if there was a barrier between you two? One that, if crossed, would be socially unaccepted?"

"I…I don't understand what you are asking me, Natsu…"

"What if… what if I were to say… that I'm having the trouble I just asked you about… but it was a… a guy that I like?" The last words came at barely above a whisper.

_What? Natsu's gay? Well… that's… unexpected._

_Wait… a guy… who's a friend of Natsu's… and there is some sort of socially unacceptable barrier…_

"Natsu, do you like… Gajeel?"

Natsu looked at her like she sprouted wings and antlers before bursting out laughing, letting go of his legs to hold his stomach as he doubled over from laughter. He finally calmed down enough to manage, "Gajeel! Oh, man, that's a good one, Lucy! And Happy said you had no sense of humor! Hahaha!" he wiped his eyes of tears before saying, "Thanks, Lucy, that cheered me up a bit. Mind if I crash at your place?"

Of course, normally I would object, especially after that crack about not having a sense of humor, but the look on his face when I found him just minutes earlier made me agree.

FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL

I felt a tad bit nervous about walking into the guild.

Okay, more like a LOT nervous. I was afraid of what Gray was going to ask me or say to me about what happened yesterday. Maybe he even forgot about it. Yes, it'd probably be best if he ignored the incident altogether. I had to come back for my vest, though. I mean, I couldn't just wear my scarf everywhere, now could I? Well, I could, but I didn't wanna. It didn't feel right.

I walked into the guild nonetheless and tried to look as casual as possible.

"Ah, Natsu!" I heard a sweet voice say and I looked over to see Wendy running up to me with my vest in her small hands. "You left this yesterday!"

"Thanks, Wendy!" I said, accepting the vest and putting in on swiftly.

"Natsu…" I heard a familiar voice say miserably. I looked to see Happy looking terribly disappointed. "Where'd you go yesterday? Gray and I searched all over, but you disappeared."

"Oh, sorry Happy! I crashed at Lucy's for the night." I tried to say cheerfully, but my stomach did a sick flip and my appetite left me in an instant.

_Gray looked for me? I guess there goes my hope of him forgetting what happened._

"Well you could have told somebody." My stomach flipped again and my heart skipped a beat as Gray's voice went straight through him like an arrow to the heart.

_Ah. Speak of the devil and he doth appear._

I turned to Gray, scratching my head in genuine regret for making him worry.

_Unless he only searched for me in order to tell me how sick I am._

I stuffed that thought away as I replied, "Sorry, I heard you looked for me. You didn't have to go through the tro-" Gray walked across the almost vacant room and grabbed my wrist.

"We need to talk." He said, more like demanded, before dragging me into the back room again.

"I'll be right back, Happy! Then I promise you a fish as an apology!" I said with a smile, looking back at Happy before being led through the door.

"Aye, sir!"

"What happened?" Gray demanded as soon as the door was closed. He had me cornered against it, but I tried not to think about running as I calmly replied,

"What are you talking about, Gray? About how I beat your butt yesterday? I'm up for a rematch if you want-"

"You know that's not what I'm talking about!" He cut me off, staring into my eyes intensely. "What happened after that?"

I swallowed and looked away.

"I said what happened, dammit!" he shouted, slamming his fist against the door, right beside my head. This brought him closer than I felt comfortable with. I felt my face heat up immediately and my eyes flew back to his. A couple moments passed before his gaze finally broke me.

I started shaking uncontrollably and I bit my lip. My tear ducts refused to cooperate and before I could stop them, tears began rolling down my cheeks.

"Natsu…"

"G-Gray… I…I'm sorry…I'm just nervous…We're friends…right?"

Gray seemed to hesitate before replying, "Yeah, you're my best friend."

"Then, promise me you won't be angry after I tell you something."

"Anything, Natsu." He said immediately this time

"I… I like you… a lot. In fact… I think… I think I love you, Gray." I all but whispered, closing my eyes and looking down. I was prepared for about anything, from feeling him walk away, to a punch to my face. I flinched at I felt his hands grab my face, but then he did something I did not expect.

"…Idiot flame brain." He whispered and used his thumb pads to wipe tears from my cheeks. I slowly opened my eyes and saw him smiling gently, before he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine in a chaste kiss. My eyes widened in surprise before they fluttered close and I kissed him back.

"I love you, too" he whispered before putting his lips back on mine.

FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL FAIRYTAIL

I arrived a few minutes after Natsu, supposedly, though he was nowhere in sight as I sat down at a table. I sighed and flipped through a magazine to pass the time. When I was about halfway through the magazine, I heard a door open and I looked up to see Gray and Natsu exiting the back room. I was about to say something regarding the job request I wanted to take up, but stopped short at the sight of their hands, which were intertwined with the other boy's.

I was confused only for a second before blushing and shaking my head.

_Of course… Why in the world would I think Gajeel?_


End file.
